Peugeot considers two hot 308s

Peugeot is considering making two hot versions of its 308 hatchback in an effort to win over all types of hot hatch buyer.

Christophe Valet, the Peugeot engineer responsible for the 308's ride and handling, told What Car? that it's not possible to make a hot hatch that's both easy to live with every day and brilliant on a track without it becoming too expensive.

Valet suggested that Peugeot may follow the example of Renault with its Renaultsport and Cup models.

If Peugeot were to go down this route, it could offer both a hardcore 308 R, complete with a traction-enhancing limited-slip differential, and a slightly softer and better-equipped GTi model. The 308 R has already been previewed by the 308 R Concept that was shown at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show.

The 308 R Concept featured the 270bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine from the RCZ R. Few performance figures were revealed, but Peugeot did say that it would be capable of emitting just 145g/km of CO2.

Before any hot 308 is introduced, Peugeot plans to upgrade the interior of the regular 308. The hard plastic used on the centre console has come in for a lot of criticism, but Peugeot says it will replace this with a soft-touch finish as soon as possible; it won't wait for the 308's mid-life face-lift.